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Trade talk: Zorko's mixed feelings over free agent Lions
Abby Crozier • July 14th, 2026 1:34 pm
Brisbane veteran Dayne Zorko has put Lions fans at ease with his faith in Zac Bailey’s continuing residence at the club.
Zorko has addressed restricted free agent Bailey's future at the club after he was reportedly offered a seven-year, $10 million contract to jump ship to the Adelaide Crows.
Despite the lucrative proposal, Zorko is “confident” his dual premiership teammate Bailey will stay put and add to his nine seasons at the club.
“I’m confident Zac will sign,” Zorko told SENQ Breakfast.
“I’m not sure if he will sign this week, but I’m very confident that Zac will stay part of our football team going forward.
“I don’t know where it lies in contract talks or anything like that, but yeah, just the conversations that I’ve had with him.
“I guess you look at his football and the way he goes about it and to me he doesn’t seem like a person who wants to leave. He’s really selfless in the way he’s playing at the moment. You know he’s obviously lighting it up and I think he just enjoys Brisbane.
“He’s whacking a pool in the backyard at the moment; he’s renovating his house. He’s doing a lot of things that suggest to me that he’s going to be staying in Brisbane.
“I’d like to think that signature is coming sooner rather than later.”
Zorko had a less confident approach to high-commodity midfielder Lachie Neale whose future as a Lion is being questioned.
The two-time All-Australian’s faith wavered when pondering what's ahead for two-time Brownlow Medallist and former club co-captain Neale, who becomes an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
“We’re not sure,” Zorko said on Neale signing a contract extension with the club.
“Obviously, there’s money out there for Lachie that we purely just cannot match, so that’s a decision he’s going to have to make in due course.
“You know you hear things that – 'the deal's already done with Collingwood', or 'St Kilda has pulled out of the race', this and that, but I don’t think Lachie’s made a final decision yet.
“Obviously they’re (both) really quality players and we’d love to keep them at our club.”
The back-to-back premiers have put themselves right back in the mix with five straight wins that currently has them sitting fourth ahead of this weekend's clash with West Coast in Perth.
